School Play Hues
by moonsliver86
Summary: Ren x Pilica The school has a cultural festival and the Shaman King Crew are asked to play in a play... This story is not about the play but about what happens before it... smile Rated PG13 for cursing...


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**Disclaimer: Kailan man hindi naging akin ang Shaman King at ang kanyang mga tauhan… Kung akin ang Shaman King, hindi 64 episodes lamang ito kundi daan-daan… Pero hindi nga ito sa akin kaya 64 lang… In English, I don't own Shaman King and its characters (isn't it obvious?) That's all for my disclaimer…**

**_Author's_****_ Notes:_**

This story is set approximately 4 years after the first Shaman Fight but follows that the second Shaman Fight has not yet occurred and that Horo Horo and Pilica did not go back to the mountains after the first Shaman Fight. In this story, their ages would be ranging from 16-18 and in Japan that would mean that they're in High School already… This is just to clarify any questions about this story's timeline…

I apologize for the delay in my posting of stories and I hope that I would be able to post the first chapter of Broken Compass soon… That is all, I hope that you enjoy this story although the characters might be a tad OOC… :D

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"Nii-chan!!" shouted Pilica, grabbing Horo Horo by the collar of his jacket, "You have to…"

"IIE!!!!" shouted Horo Horo, trying to break away from his insistent sister, "I don't want to…"

"But, onii-chan, you promised me that you'll do it…" pleaded a pouting Pilica, trying to make her brother succumb to her will with her somber eyes.

"Promises are meant to be broken…" argued Horo Horo, "Besides, I only said that I would give it a shot…"

"Tamao has a role in the play…" added Pilica, hoping that Horo Horo would take the bait.

Horo Horo blushed, paced back and forth across the room and with a defeated sigh, went back to where Pilica was standing and nodded.

"Oh, alright… I'll do it..." surrendered the defeated Horo Horo, "Demo… You have to promise me that you'll never drag me into something like this again!"

Pilica nodded with her fingers crossed behind her back. Rushing off towards her bag, Pilica smiled evilly.

'Yes! My brother's going to do it…' thought Pilica, an evil but generally good-for-all vision forming in her mind.

"Sigh… Why do I get myself into these things?" muttered Horo Horo under his breath, "At least, I'm not the only she dragged into this mess…"

"Onii-chan!" shouted Pilica, handing Horo Horo some sort of book, "Here…"

"What's this, an encyclopedia?" asked Horo Horo, flipping through its pages.

"No, silly… It's the script…" answered Pilica, "And you will be playing Haru, one of the three guys in the play. The other two are Reiji and Yusuke, eternal rivals who amazingly remain friends until now. As Haru, you will play as Reiji's best friend and confidant."

"WHAT?! This is not a script… This is a novel!!!" shouted Horo Horo, looking through the script and counting his lines.

"The play's a tragicomedy about three guys and three girls who unwillingly and unwittingly gets trapped by fate into falling in love… Cliché, in its truest essence, this play is about teenage angst and romance…" explained Pilica as she read from the script, only to be interrupted by Horo Horo's loud shout and string of curses.

"()#)!!! 250 lines!! How am I g()#)!!! 250 lines!! How am i es.uptedntly leads them to the discovery of their true purpose in life,.oing to memorize all these lines?" grumbled Horo Horo, "What's this play for anyway?"

"It's for our school's cultural festival…" replied Pilica nonchalantly, who continued from where she was interrupted, "Kawashima-sensei asked me to find some people to play the other roles…"

"Why did you pick me then?! There are so many other people around there…" remarked a frustrated Horo Horo.

"That's because I'm playing the role of Kana, Haru's imoto who is infatuated with Reiji..." answered a smiling Pilica, "And that Tamao's playing Shizuyo, Haru's love interest in the play…"

Blushing for a moment, Horo Horo was suddenly troubled by what Pilica had just said. – _… who is infatuated with Reiji… _

"And who is the one who's playing Reiji?" asked a very worried Horo Horo, quickly forgetting about his own "play" problems.

"I don't know… But, Kawashima-sensei said that she found a perfect person to play that role yesterday…"

"NO!" shouted the infuriated student, "I will never do something like that in my lifetime…"

"But you're perfect for the role…" argued a young lady in her late twenties, "Furthermore, by joining this play, you'll be able to get extra credit on your other classes…"

"I don't care about that… I just won't do it…" repeated the fuming student, "Look, why don't you look for some other guy to play the role?"

"Kedo…" pleaded the teacher, "There's just no else that would fit the part…"

Bringing out a copy of the script, Kawashima-sensei continued, "Reiji's character is one of the major characters in the play and in order to bring him to life, we need YOU!"

"No…" replied the student firmly.

Turning his back to Kawashima-sensei, the student stood up from his seat and headed for the door when he was suddenly stopped by Kawashima-sensei's words.

"You leave me no choice…" said the teacher, lowering her head slightly, "If you don't join the play, I'm telling your sister about that little mishap you had last week…"

"What?! How?! You're bluffing…" sputtered the shocked student, his eyes slightly twitching.

Kawashima-sensei grinned, "Girl's locker room… Mysterious intruder who entered it accidentally… Blushed as red as a tomato… Should I continue?"

"Okay… Okay… You win… I'll do it… Just promise me that you'll never ever tell my sister or anyone about that EVER again or else you just might find your head missing one of these days…" replied the blushing student.

"Is that a threat?" asked Kawashima-sensei.

"No, it's a warning…" replied the defeated and infuriated student, storming out of the room after he had said it.

**__**

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**_School Play Hues_**

_by__ silver moonlight_

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The bright rays of the sun entered the apartment room, filling it with glorious warmth and waking it up with its soft caresses. White curtains flew freely with the cool morning breeze, the soft chatter of morning activities a soft tune nudging people awake. The door nearest to the bathroom opened, the hinges making a creaking sound after having not been maintained properly by the previous owner of the apartment. Stepped out was a blue-haired teenager, his hair in total disarray and his eyes still partially closed as sleep threatened to claim him once more.

Rubbing his eyes, the blue-haired teen walked into the dining room to find his sister running about, fixing this and that and placing food on the table. The blue-haired teen grabbed the nearest chair and sat down, resting his head atop the table top.

"Onii-chan, let's go already… We're going to be late for school…" shouted Pilica who was currently fixing her bag.

"It's only seven... School doesn't start until eight, we still have a lot of time…" replied a groggy Horo Horo who finally found the strength to lift his face up to look at Pilica face-to-face, "Yawn…"

"We have a meeting with Kawashima-sensei at 7:30…" answered Pilica, not minding that Horo Horo was still far from being ready to go to school.

"That early?! Oh man, I knew I shouldn't have agreed to do it…" groaned a sleep-deprived Horo Horo, "I'm a growing boy! I need SLEEP!"

"Kururu… Kuru kuru (I agree with him…)" voiced Kururu, rubbing its eyes with its tiny hands.

"You can always sleep later…" replied Pilica, grabbing Horo Horo and throwing him into the bathroom, "Now, quickly take a bath and change into your school uniform… After that, eat quickly… We can't be late…"

"Yes, mom…" replied Horo Horo jokingly as he dragged himself to the shower.

"ONII-CHAN!" shouted an irritated Pilica who threw her book at him just as he closed the bathroom door.

"Missed me…" shouted Horo Horo back through the bathroom door.

In a dark room not so far away from the apartment laid the body of yet another teenage boy who was still in the state of slumber. He slept there peacefully, something that rarely happens when he is awake. The room was silent except for the sound of his even breathing which was acting like some sort of rhythm that lulled you to sleep. Slowly, the sun peeked in through the curtains and bathed the room with soft rays of light. Sunlight prickled his skin lightly – a feeling similar to laying down on a meadow – slowly stirring him awake. Turning to his side, the teen's eyes slowly fluttered open, his chinky eyes still heavy with the sandman's dust. He stared into the ceiling above him and sighed softly. Slowly, he sat up on his bed and looked at the clock beside his bed.

"It's still but 6:30 AM but nevertheless…" whispered Ren to himself, jumping out of bed and began to stretch, something that had become a part of his daily routine these past few months.

Finished with his morning exercises, Ren walked towards his closet and grabbed a set of clothing before heading towards the bathroom that was joined to his room. Stepping out of his clothes and into the shower, Ren set the water's temperature and turned the water on. Warm water ran down his body, soothing his muscles and washing away all the pressures that have built up last night.

'A play…' thought Ren, 'And I'm in it…'

Finished, Ren grabbed a towel from the towel rack and dried himself. Stepping out of the showers, Ren put on his school uniform and climbed down the stairs where his family's servants were roaming about. His parents and dear sister were probably still asleep but he didn't mind, it was something that was normal on school days like these.

Ren made his way to the dining room, his mind still focused on what had happened last week when he…

'No! I must stop thinking about that… I'm not like Horo Horo, Yoh or the others… I'm not weak…' thought Ren as he cursed himself for being that way and thinking that way.

Pushing the revolving doors that led to the dining room, Ren found himself face-to-face with his sister.

"Onee-chan…" stammered a surprised Ren who was quick to regain his composure, "What are you doing here?!"

"To watch you eat of course…" answered Jun Tao jokingly, "I have to an appointment at seven thirty…"

"Hn…" replied Ren who quickly made his way to his seat.

"So, how's school lately?" asked Jun.

The meeting in the morning had been uneventful. Kawashima-sensei just gave them their final scripts and told them to come back later by 7:00 pm. School was ordinary routine – studying, eating, followed by more studying and soon enough it was late afternoon…

"Quiet down now…" requested Kawashima-sensei who stood in front on the stage facing the group of teens that were going to try out for the play.

"Pilica, are the main cast here already?" asked Kawashima-sensei, slightly turning to face Pilica who was beside her.

"Um… Well, Tamao, Horo Horo, Yoh, Anna and I are here… But the one playing Reiji is still missing, though…" replied Pilica, looking at the group of people who was standing at the back portion of the stage.

Kawashima-sensei scanned through her schedule and smiling, said, "He'll be here but he'll be late…"

"Okay, minna-san, we'll be having the auditions for the secondary roles and understudies today… As you can see, the lead roles have already been taken…" announced Kawashima-sensei, pointing to the group of teens at the back as she addressed the crowd, "We have Pilica who will be playing Kana… Horo Horo who'll be playing Haru…"

Kawashima-sensei was about to mention Yoh's name when the auditorium doors suddenly burst open, the sunlight shrouding the person who had just opened the door with blinding light.

"REN?!" shouted a surprised Pilica and the others in chorus, "What are you doing here?"

"Hn… Why don't you ask her?" replied Ren, pointing to Kawashima-sensei as he walked nonchalantly towards the main cast.

"It can't be…" remarked Pilica, "Kawashima-sensei, tell me he's not going to play Reiji!!!"

"Well, if you say so… He's not going to play Reiji…" replied Kawashima-sensei, a large grin pasted on her face as she answered.

"That's a relief…" remarked Pilica until she realized what Kawashima-sensei's reply meant, "Wait… Is he or is he not playing Reiji?"

"I'm playing Reiji…" answered Ren as he jumped up onto the stage, "But I'm not doing it because I want to…"1

Ren glared at Kawashima-sensei as he said those last words. Ren walked towards his old friends and greeted them as he always did – with a twisted smile that looked more like a frown.

"I see that I'm not the only one the evil lady trapped into the play…" Ren said, a small smirk forming on his face, "I guess fate doesn't want me to suffer alone…"

Kawashima-sensei then led them to the backstage area and then left them to practice by themselves. Pilica stood there dumbfounded.

'Of all the people that could have taken the role of Reiji, why did it have to be that arrogant Chinese Shaman who… Memory Block Must forget what happened last week… Memory Block Oh, why do the Gods hate me so?' thought Pilica as fact that Ren was going to play Reiji was slowly sinking in.

"Hey, you, what are staring at me for?" shouted Ren, breaking Pilica from her train of thought, "What are you looking at? You're so much like your brother…"

Pilica fumed, it was bad enough that he had accused her of staring at him, as if he was cute or anything special, but to insult her brother like that was just unforgivable.

"Oh yeah… Look who's talking… You're the one who went to the Girl's Locker Room last week…" retorted Pilica, making Ren blush slightly at the remark, "Who has the hidden desire now? Ha! Admit it, you're after me…"

"Ooh… Low blow…" softly remarked a grinning Horo Horo.

"Damare! I did not go there to see you…" countered a stuttering Ren, "You're better off in a mental hospital, you look and act like everyone else there anyway…"

"Well, you're…" shouted Pilica, trying to think of something to get back at Ren, "You're… You're…"

"I'm what?" interrupted Ren, "Ha! I did not know that you were both a pain in the eyes and in the ears… Am I interrupting your mumbling? Go on… Make that little brain of yours work…"

"Kutabare2!" shouted Pilica, storming off towards the nearest girl's bathroom. 

Tears welled up in her eyes but she tried to hold them in. She didn't want to give Ren the satisfaction of knowing that he had hurt her.

"Hey!" shouted Horo Horo, realizing that this was going too far, "Ren, you can't insult my sister like that…"

"Hn… She deserved it…" remarked Ren who walked away from the scene only to be stopped by Horo Horo grabbing him by his collar forcefully.

"Apologize to her!" shouted Horo Horo who had his fists clenched and ready to strike.

"Why should I? She started it…" replied Ren thoughtlessly, "If someone's going to do any apologizing here, it should be her…"

"Ren, I'm going to tell you one more time, apologize to her…" repeated Horo Horo who could not hold back his anger any longer.

"Why? Are you going to make me?" retorted Ren, breaking free from Horo Horo's grasp, "I'd like to see you try."

Horo Horo lunged in for a punch when he was suddenly stopped by Yoh.

"No, don't… I'll handle this…" whispered Yoh, "Horo Horo, I suggest you cool off a bit… Red doesn't suit you at all… Better stick to blue…"

"Hn…" snorted Ren, as he dusted himself off.

"As for you…" whispered Yoh, turning to Ren, "We need to talk, let's talk outside…"

"Okay… Okay…" replied Ren, knowing that when Yoh's in this very nice mood, going against him would be the last thing you'd want to do.

The two teens stepped outside, leaving Horo Horo standing in front of the girls' bathroom waiting for his sister to come out and Tamao and Anna who were listening to music and did not hear anything.

"Hey, Anna, do you know what just happened?" asked Tamao, removing one of her earphones.

"They're probably practicing or something…" replied Anna, still focused on listening to her music, "Besides, our parts are relatively short…"

"I guess you're right…" agreed Tamao, putting back her earphones.

"Boys will be boys…" remarked Anna, putting her other earphone back into her ear3.

Pilica stood in front of the girls' bathroom mirror, her eyes puffy and red. She didn't want to cry. She didn't want to be affected. She didn't want to appear weak; not in front of her friends, not in front of her brother and especially not in front of… Ren…

'Why am I so affected by what he says anyway?' though Pilica as she wiped the tears out of her eyes, 'He's such a stupid jerk! What should I care about what he says?!'

Pilica washed her face and stared at her face in the mirror.

'But I do care about what he thinks…' thought Pilica, 'I care about how he sees me but… why? Why do I care? He's nothing more than… than… a what? I don't know… I'm confused…'

"Pilica, I now you're in there so please come out now…" pleaded Horo Horo from behind the door, "Don't worry, I'll protect you from him… If he insults you one more time, I'll punch the living daylights out of him, okay?"

'My brother always protects me… But… I can protect myself…' thought Pilica, 'This is my fight...'

_Ren…__ Why do I keep on thinking about him? He's… he's… nothing… nothing more than my brother's friend… Dakedo… Doshite? Doshite? Why can't I get him out of my head?_

Pilica stared at her reflection for a moment and softly but confidently said, "That's okay… I won't let him get to me…"

"If this is the way I have to live my life then I shall live it my way… at my pace… at my time…" whispered Pilica to herself.

"Ren Tao, I'm going to make sure that you'll never forget my name again!" shouted Pilica, a burning new resolve formed in her heart.

"You didn't have to go that far Ren…" whispered Yoh, leaning on the outside wall of the auditorium.

"…"

'Why am I so bothered by her anyway? Why is it that I can't stop myself from fighting with her?' thought Ren, his thoughts clouding his already confused teenage mind.

"I mean, you could have toned it down a bit…" continued Yoh as he noticed that Ren still wasn't replying, "Your arguments with her never became this bad before…"

"I know… I guess, you're right…" replied Ren, humbling himself down as his guilt was continuously pressing on him, "I guess, I should really apologize…"

4

**Ren -- :** NO! Don't dare apologize to her! If you do, you'll be seen as a weak person… No one likes a weak person!

**Ren :** Listen to reason… Believe in what your heart is telling you…

**Ren:** I do not know… I don't know… It's just too confusing… I… I… I… don't know…

**Ren -- :** You've built up your image for too long, don't destroy it for that woman… Remember that you are a member of the Tao family… Are you willing to dishonor your ancestors who have protected our family's honor for centuries? She's not worth it!

**Ren :** Is she not? Is Pilica not worth it? Besides, you're ancestors do not decide what you do… You are REN! You are not just one of the Tao family… Yes, you are a member but you are also YOURSELF and if you think that…

**Ren:** YAMERO! Stop it! I can't take it anymore… Leave me alone!

**Ren -- & Ren :** Demo…

**Ren:** LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!!!

"Are you alright, Ren" asked Yoh, breaking Ren from his thoughts.

"Huh?" remarked Ren as he was shaken back into reality, "Yeah… Yeah… I'm alright…"

"That's good…" commented Yoh, his usual smile and grin plastered on his face once again, "Just don't forget that you promised to apologize to her…"

"Hn…" replied Ren, "But this will be the last time I will do this…"

"Whatever you say, Ren… Whatever you say…" said Yoh, walking back into the auditorium with both his hands placed behind his head in a relaxed manner, leaving Ren alone outside the auditorium to think.

The autumn leaves were already beginning to fall and the ground was slowly beginning to be covered in a blanket of orange red snowflakes. The cold evening wind blew through the school's courtyard as the sound of happy chatter from around the campus filled Ren's ears.

'I don't get it… Why is it that I find it nearly impossible to be happy?' thought Ren as he sat down on the ground, 'Why can't I move myself to do what I believe is right? Why is it that I'm stuck behind a mask I can't remove as it is now a part of who I am?'

Ren sighed and straightening himself up, he walked towards the auditorium and entered, his original self resurfacing once more ready to face what the world is offering him.

"Oy anta…" announced Ren as he emerged from behind the auditorium's back entrance.

"What do you want?" answered Pilica who had now recovered from what had happened awhile ago, "By the way, the name's Pilica, I hope your brain can remember that…"

Ren caught his tongue, knowing that it would get worse if he let said something to her again.

"Okay, Pilica… Better?" asked Ren sarcastically.

Pilica nodded, not really paying much attention to the guy who had just insulted her.

"I'm sorry…" said Ren very quickly, his words sounding slurred and mumbled.

"What? I didn't quite hear that…" asked Pilica sarcastically, "Could you please, oh, gracious sir, repeat what you have just said to this lowly female…"

"I said, I'm sorry… There I said it, are you happy now?" repeated Ren, humbling himself down yet another time the same day.

"My, my, my… Ren does have a heart after all…" remarked Pilica, "I guess, you're human too… sometimes…"

"I'm warning you…" warned Ren, his hair twitching as a sign of his irritation, "I've apologized already, what more do you want from me?"

"So, you think apologizing to me now will be enough for me to forgive you… Dream on… I'm not about to believe your false apologies…" retorted Pilica, her eyes staring straight into Ren's.

"Pilica! You're testing my patience…" shouted Ren, his anger reaching a critical point, his hair nearly reaching the auditorium's ceiling, "Don't make me…"

"Make you what… Act like a jerk? You are one… You don't need to act…" interrupted Pilica, all the anguish and confusion that bottled up inside her now exploding like a ton of C4, "You must think you're strong and all that but you know full well that you're nothing but a hollow shell of a weak person who's hiding behind some façade of strength in an attempt to fool people…"

Ren couldn't take it anymore and yelled, "You know what, Pilica… I didn't want to say this but you're a bitch! A spoiled brat who keeps on depending on your brother… You think only of your goddamn self… You don't care! You just don't care… You don't know what it's like to carry the burden of your family on your back… You know nothing about me! You know nothing of my problems and you dare tell me that I'm a jerk! You're the jerk here… Here I come to apologize and what do I get, a bitch who can't tell the difference between an apology and an insult… You just don't get it, do you? You're nothing but a…"

SMACK

Ren was suddenly interrupted by a loud slap to the face and when he looked at Pilica, he could clearly see the tears flowing down her cheeks.

"How dare you!" shouted Pilica, "How dare you… How dare you… How dare you…"

Ren instinctively touched his cheek as the pain radiated from it and he tried to register what had just happened. Pilica, not able to hold the anguish and emotions that were flowing in her any longer, ran away. She ran towards the back door and went out, leaving everyone else behind.

Clunk

A round metal object fell to the ground breaking the deafening silence that filled the backstage of the auditorium. Ren was stupefied. It was the first time someone hit him like that and he didn't know what to do. Ren was split into two – one part of him wanted to leave her alone but there was this part of him that wanted to run after her to tell her that she was right and that she was… what he feared her to be… The one who could make him feel special… The one who saw through his mask…

Picking up the round metal object, Ren placed it into his pocket and as much as his pride didn't want to move, his feet moved and he ran after her. Knowing that there was only one place she would go at a time like this… the train station… Why? He didn't know why he thought of going to the train station to look for her but something in his mind just told him to do so… In this rare circumstance, Ren truly cared. Ren wanted to find her and comfort her… Something he was afraid he couldn't do…

Pilica found herself walking alone in the abandoned train station. She always found it relaxing to walk around the train station at night as it was a nice place to collect her thoughts in peace. The cold night wind was quiet and the soft humming of the nocturnal "birds" filled the empty train station. Certain light posts were broken, their lights flickering in and out of the darkness. But most of the station was still visible. Pilica wandered aimlessly – she could do nothing but run away – run away from something that she didn't want to admit…

There were some things that Ren said which were probably right. She did depend on her brother too much and she might not know about his life but she was who she was… Nothing could change that… But, there was something about Ren that… that… She couldn't describe and comprehend… There was something about him that didn't allow her to forgive him… There was something about him that she wanted to know but now, she would never find the answer or so she thought…

Walking down the shadowed parts of the train station, Pilica was suddenly interrupted by the sound of chains. Turning around, Pilica could see nothing but shadows. Feeling fear build up inside of her, Pilica tried not to panic and to move forward calmly. Taking a step forward, Pilica heard the sound again and turning around, there was nothing there. Pilica's pace quickened, fed by her fear as the chain's sounds grew louder and louder. But soon, they all stopped. The station was quiet – too quiet.

Turning around for another time as the sound of the chains stopped, she saw nothing and sighed a breath of relief.

'Maybe it's just my imagination…' thought Pilica only to be surprised when a calloused hand grabbed her from the back and tied a metal chain around her neck as if to choke her.

"Hello, little girl… Wanna have fun?" asked the man, his voice rough and slurred as if he were drunk.

"Let go of me…" shouted Pilica as she struggled to break free but to no avail, the man was far too strong for her.

"Shout all you want…" remarked the man as he ran his tongue down her earlobe, "No one can hear you…"

"Please… Let go of me…" pleaded Pilica hoarsely, "Let go of me…"

"I'll let you go alright after I…" replied the man when he was suddenly knocked unconscious by a hit from the back, causing Pilica to fall to the ground.

"Are you alright?" asked a familiar voice, "He didn't… Did he?"

"It's okay… Just a twisted ankle from the fall," smiled Pilica, happy that she was safe, "Thanks…"

"Don't mention it…" replied Ren who was avoiding eye contact, "Don't go thinking that I saved you because I like you or anything… It's just that I felt guilty…"

'Yeah, that's it…' thought Ren.

Pilica snickered. All her anguish, fear and problems seemed to have disappeared all of a sudden.

"What's so funny?" asked an irritated Ren.

"Nothing… You're just so cute when you're like that…" replied Pilica, "We don't always have to fight, you know…"

"Hn…" answered Ren who began to blush lightly as he picked her up from the ground and carried her on his shoulders.

"What are you doing"? asked a shocked blushing Pilica, "You don't have to carry me… I can walk home…"

"You're ankle is twisted… It'll be faster, this way…" replied Ren, his softer side surfacing just a little bit.

"Thanks…" thanked Pilica, lowering her chin atop Ren's shoulder.

There was no answer this time. No "don't mention it" but Pilica knew that Ren, in his heart, would have said it. Ren was still confused – he didn't know what to do with this predicament. He knew that she could be the ONE for him but so many things just keep on bothering him. He was worried and somehow, being with her at that moment was all that mattered… for now…

"Arigato…" thanked Pilica once more as Ren softly lowered her down unto the couch in her apartment building's lounge.

"Yeah…" replied Ren, rubbing his nose with his finger and looking up into the air.

"I don't know how to say this but I'm sorry…" apologized Pilica, lowering her head down, "I don't know what came over me…"

"It's alright… In fact, I should be the one to apologize…" replied Ren, lifting her face up to face his, "Next time, when I go too far, just slap me… I'll understand…"

"Yeah, right… If I slap you, you'll beat the crap out of me…" joked Pilica.

"Well, yeah…" answered Ren, "But you know what I mean, just tell me…"

Pilica nodded and bringing Ren's face closer to hers kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks…" whispered Pilica yet another time that night as she hugged Ren tightly.

Ren was still at first but soon joined in the hug as well. The hug was symbolic – the symbol that they were no longer rivals but some sort of quarrelling couple…

"Here, you dropped this…" said Ren, handing the round metal, object to Pilica.

"It's my… I must have dropped it when I ran away awhile ago…" replied Pilica, holding it in her hands tightly.

"Well, I better get going… Better tell your brother you're here…" Ren said, running off towards the exit.

"Bye…"

EPILOGUE 

"Ren-chan!" shouted Pilica as she ran towards her koibito.

"Nandayo? And will you stop calling me Ren-chan, it's embarrassing…" replied Ren who was busy putting on his costume for the play.

"Demo… Ren-chan…" whimpered Pilica, "I like calling you, Ren-chan…"

"Oh, alright… But only when we're together… Say it in public and I'll cut your brother's head off…" Ren warned, "Does he know about us already?"

"Iie…" Pilica answered, "He's too busy with Tamao… But he'll find out soon enough…"

"Ren-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you kiss me for good luck's sake?" asked Pilica sincerely.

"What?!"

"Onegai…"

Pilica closed her eyes and waited for Ren to kiss her when she felt a cold sensation on her lips. Her eyes quickly opened and discovered that it was an ice cube Ren placed on her lips.

"Ren-chan…" pouted Pilica only to be surprised by Ren claiming her mouth all of a sudden with a quick kiss.

"I hope you don't have any objections about that one now…" remarked Ren as he put on his shoes.

Pilica smiled. Ren was so unpredictable and that was what's fun about it. Ren took off for the stage and Pilica smiled.

Owari… (Maybe)

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**Notes:**

1 – To the fans of NGE, this reaction is called the "Shinji Complex"…

2 – Umm… Bad word… That's it…

3 – For those who didn't get it, Anna heard everything… smile

4 – "Ren -- & Ren " are manifestations of Ren's conscience… Read Fortune Cookie for more of these two…


End file.
